From left to right: Kate O'Riordan, Dean (School of Media, Arts and Humanities), David Ruebain, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality & Inclusion), Dan Gillespie Sells and Sharon Webb, Senior Lecturer in Digital Humanities

The University of Sussex welcomed songwriter and musician Dan Gillespie Sells to the first in a series of ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with...’ events at the Attenborough Centre on 1 November.

Dan joined a panel featuring David Ruebain, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality & Inclusion), Kate O'Riordan, Dean (School of Media, Arts and Humanities) and Sharon Webb, Senior Lecturer in Digital Humanities to discuss liberation and storytelling, with conversation ranging from gender identity and activism to the influence of class and politics on creativity. A collaboration with the School of Media, Arts and Humanities and Development and Alumni Relations, the event was open to staff, students and local community partners.

David Ruebain said: "I was ​delighted to welcome Dan Gillespie Sells to the ACCA to speak with members of our community including staff, students and local partners at our first ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with...’ event. I was struck by ​the rich discussion around storytelling, identity and power, with open, honest and thought-provoking questions and insights from the audience. It's clear that sometimes the magic is working out the space between perspectives – the tussle of two narratives, resulting in something new. I think that ‘something new’ is where inclusion lies. Making space to hear ​interesting and important viewpoints from a wide range of people within ​and outside of our community is at the heart of our Inclusive Sussex strategy and I look forward to further events in the series."

The audience had the opportunity to share their thoughts during a Q&A. Earlier in the day, Dan also met with students and members of the leadership team in the School of Media, Arts and Humanities, joining a number of classes and visiting a music studio on campus.

You can view images from the day or watch the event recording below.

(View a transcript of this replay by selecting ‘Watch on YouTube’ and then ‘Show transcript.’)

The power of stories
During the event, discussion focused on the inherent power of stories and how we all create our own ‘story’ - expressed through our identity. Dan said: "Stories are very powerful because they can convince people much more than facts and figures do. And that's often a great thing - but sometimes it's not. Controlling a narrative in a way that is dangerous is what happens with fascism. They're weaponising identity and storytelling. We have to be better at telling our own stories. It's how we connect to the outside world. If you're a storyteller you have power in your hands.”

Reflecting on his early career in The Feeling, Dan also spoke about how storytelling within his music challenged the industry stereotypes of the time: "The environment was very macho and homophobic. They found it really weird to see us singing pretty harmonies. To us, it seemed a bit more dangerous to have beauty in a rock song." This mindset has shaped Dan’s career and he continues to challenge conventional narratives, having composed the music for the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Queer joy
As conversation turned to community and connection, Sharon Webb added: "It's really important to highlight the way in which the Sussex campus has had a queerness about it. We did a paper on Queer on Campus, and the sense that when some people arrived here in the 60s, 70s and 80s, it was the first time that they could be themselves. This campus has been a very important place for that identity, for people to feel connected and find home and find solidarity and allyship."

Following the event, Kate O’Riordan said: "I appreciated Dan's generous thinking and reflections about the expansiveness of identity and the way that people can identify or connect with people who on the face of it seem very different – and that it is so important to do the hard work to find, celebrate and make joy. It was also interesting to hear his views on how identity can be weaponised, the importance of thinking about class, and how he considered wearing suits and short hair as a form of drag because he recognised butch-aesthetic femininities as feminine in their own right, having been brought up around lesbian culture."

Sharon Webb added: "The ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with…’ series is such a great idea. It allows us to think about issues of inclusion in a way that personalises those experiences. Rather than focusing on policy and abstractive notions, we get to discuss how these things affect us from day to day and also over a lifetime. Listening to Dan speak about his life and career resonated on so many levels but perhaps the most interesting point for me was when he spoke about ‘queer joy’, the need to think beyond victimisation and to acknowledge and celebrate the positives."

About the event series
Our ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with...’ event series supports our Inclusive Sussex strategy by exploring issues of liberation, equality, diversity and justice with voices from all walks of life, bringing their expertise and lived experiences to the fore.

Sussex has a proud history of welcoming staff and students from the widest range of backgrounds and from all over the world and in working to create a truly inclusive community that values diversity of identity, background and belief. We continue to strive for Sussex to be a leading example of good practice in advancing equality, diversity and inclusion and a place which welcomes rigorous discussion and debate and where everyone can thrive. 

Information about upcoming ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with...’ events will be available soon on the Staff Hub.

Read more about our ongoing work towards Inclusive Sussex.

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